Episode 8 Player Rankings

Each week, we rank the remaining players in order of the players we think are most likely to stay in the game to those who have the highest chance to be voted out next week. This player ranking is not definitive, but may provide a little insight on possible outcomes in the next episode. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.

Okay, I was completely wrong about how the rivalry would end up splitting the tribe. I thought the tribe would be evenly divided between Team Chris and Team Dom, but as it turns out, NO ONE sided with Chris! However, I was right to put Chris dead last in the power rankings, since he did end up getting voted out – with an idol in his pocket, to boot! It will be interesting to see how things will shake out next next week, now that the Chris/Dom rivalry is finally dead. Will Dom and Wendell be targeted again? Will the women form an alliance? Or will all the former Navitis target a former Malolo? It could go a number of ways, but here’s how I think the players should be ranked based on what we’ve seen so far:

LAUREL (points earned: 1. Total points earned: 13)

I’m keeping Laurel at the top yet again because she isn’t making any enemies, is keeping herself within the dominant alliance, and is laying low. The only thing that worries me is that in the preview for next week’s episode, she seems to be worried about all the power that Wendell and Domenick have in the game. Although she does need to make a big move eventually if she wants to win, it would be too early for her to take out Dom or Wendell now, especially since she’s currently aligned with both of them. But perhaps that confessional was only foreshadowing for a future episode.

DONATHAN (points earned: 1. Total points earned: 12)

Donathan, like Laurel, is staying under the radar and making solid connections with people. He also wisely ditched Chris for Dom in order to stay in the majority. He’s likely safe again at the next tribal.

SEBASTIAN (points earned: 1. Total points earned: 14)

Sebastian climbed up the rankings this week because he distanced himself from Chris in the last episode. Now, he is likely to go unnoticed for awhile unless he starts winning a bunch of immunity challenges, which would paint a target on his back. But for this episode, he’s probably safe.

WENDELL (points earned: 2. Total points earned: 20)

Wendell managed to get Chris out of the game, however, he is in a slightly vulnerable position now because he’s shown himself to be a shrewd player. Fortunately, he still has Erik Reichenbach’s immunity necklace and will probably play it if he feels that he’s in danger. Otherwise, I would put him a lot lower on the rankings.

MICHAEL (points earned: 2. Total points earned: 11)

Michael would probably be at the bottom of the rankings if he didn’t have Ozzy’s “stick with a face on it” idol. He’s a former Malolo, he’s good at challenges, and he doesn’t have a lot of connections within the tribe right now, so he would be an ideal boot at the next tribal. However, he will definitely play his idol if he feels threatened at all, so he’s most likely safe for at least one more tribal council.

DOMENICK (points earned: 3. Total points earned: 28)

Although he defeated Chris in their epic battle last episode, Dom has a bigger target on his back by making big moves at such an early stage. Fortunately, he still has Andrea’s idol from Survivor: Caramoan (I’m loving all these relics from past seasons!), so he will play it if he feels he needs to. However, I put him just below Wendell and Michael because he doesn’t have quite as much social awareness as they do.

ANGELA (points earned: 1. Total points earned: 14)

Angela might be an easy vote if the Navitis decide to get rid of one of their own. However, she doesn’t seem to be much of a threat at all, especially now that Chris is gone.

CHELSEA (points earned: 1. Total points earned: 12)

There’s no reason for Chelsea to be this low, other than the fact that she currently holds no advantage or idol in such an idol-heavy season. Although she’s been flirting with the idea of joining the Naviti women alliance and voting out Libby (which could still happen), she could also get targeted if the others see her as too closely aligned with Domenick.

DESIREE (points earned: 1. Total points earned: 11)

Desiree is Kellyn’s right-hand woman, so if Kellyn ends up getting targeted, then Desiree could receive some blowback.

KELLYN (points earned: 3. Total points earned: 16)

Kellyn is playing a great game so far, but last week she won immunity and she’s been to Ghost Island on more than one occasion, so if Naviti starts disintegrating, Dom and Wendell could target her because she’s starting to become a more visible threat. She does, however, have a vote steal advantage in her pocket, which could be of use if she finds herself in trouble.

JENNA (points earned: 1. Total points earned: 10)

Of the remaining Malolos, Jenna and Libby are the most likely to be voted out. Jenna isn’t playing a bad game, but she’s so closely aligned with Libby that she could get targeted just by her association with Libby (especially if Libby wins immunity).

LIBBY (points earned: 1. Total points earned: 11)

I’m putting Libby at the bottom of the rankings because the edit has hinted across multiple episodes now that the other contestants don’t trust her. She could be an easy vote, since the Naviti women and even Dom and Wendell could agree to get her out of the game.

Photo Credit: Robert Voets/CBS Entertainment